Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to the field of information handling system power management, and more particularly to an information handling system external adapter and battery source.
Description of the Related Art
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Portable information handling systems come in a variety of forms to meet expected end user needs for portability, processing capability, screen size, input capability and battery life. Generally, the most portable form factor is a tablet or smartphone form factor that uses a touchscreen display as the input device. Tablet information handling systems are built into a planar housing that takes minimal space, such as might fit in a back pocket or purse. Tablet information handling systems generally are convenient to carry and use for tasks that have limited processing requirements, however, limited processing capabilities and slow inputs typically found with touchscreen keyboards tend to restrict tablet information handling system to basic e-mail and web browsing tasks. Generally, tablet information handling systems have flat battery packs that store limited power so that extended use of a system for any processing intensive task can rapidly deplete the battery charge.
Other portable information handling system form factors tend to include an integrated keyboard and a mechanical mechanism to open and close access to the keyboard and to an integrated display. A clamshell housing rotates a lid relative to a main housing with a display integrated in the lid and a keyboard integrated in the main housing. A clamshell housing configuration when opened holds the display in an elevated position for viewing by an end user and, when closed, protects the keyboard and display from damage. Convertible housing configurations go a step further by allowing the lid to rotate into a tablet configuration that exposes the display for use as a tablet. Convertible configurations sometimes rotate the lid a full 360 degrees to a tablet configuration, or alternatively rotates the display in a manner that faces the display outwards when the lid closes over top of the keyboard. Generally such portable information handling systems tend to have larger housing sizes that include larger display screens and that have room to hold more powerful processing components. Although such systems have less portability than tablet configurations, they also tend to support more processing intensive applications so that an end user can work on the go. In some instances, clamshell configurations have capabilities that approach those of desktop systems with large battery packs to provide power to run the more powerful processing components and the infrastructure that often accompanies such components, such as an integrated cooling fan.
One difficulty with portable information handling systems is that the power consumed by a system can vary widely based on the type of system and how the system is used. For example, a portable information handling system with a solid state drive (SSD) remains “on” for an end user with nearly zero power use when in an idle state by storing the operating system in persistent memory. However, that same portable information handling system might execute a processing-intensive application, such as CAD rendering, that will rapidly deplete a battery charge and even surpass the capacity of an external power adapter to provide power. For smaller-sized portable information handling systems, power is often provided through data ports, such as USB ports, that do not have capacity to fully support system operations when in a high power consumption state. Larger and more capable portable information handling systems generally come with external AC-to-DC power adapters that provide increased power transfer capabilities, however, such power adapters tend to have a larger footprint and are inconvenient to carry and use.
One solution available for end users is to carry extra batteries with the portable information handling system that extend the charge life of integrated batteries. For example, the batteries are in a package that plugs into an information handling system power or communication port to either recharge the integrated battery or provide power directly to internal components to run the system. External batteries may be included in an external power adapter for to provide power when an AC power source is not available or in a package separate from the AC power source designed specifically to provide battery power. Although external batteries provide a viable alternative to power information handling systems for extended times when external power is unavailable, they do represent another item that an end user must carry and keep charged. For an active user working on-the-go, carrying additional items is often inconvenient and difficult, especially where the items are bulky.